AboutRabbi Ari Shishler Expertise As a campus rabbi, who teaches both religious and non-religious Jewish teens every day, I'm ready and waiting for your questions.
Experience I spent six years as the head of the Chabad House Young Adults' Division in Johannesburg, South Africa, before moving to learning director.
I am the campus rabbi at the Witwatersrand University and University of Johannesburg and was the campus rabbi at Boston City Campus in Johannesburg for six years.
I have worked closely with the South African Union of Jewish students since 1997.
For the past eight years, I have been a guest lecturer at the Johannesburg "Encounter" program for King David High Schools. I have also spent two years as guest rabbi at the "Encounter" program in Cape Town.
King David High Schools, Yeshivah College and Crawford High Schools invite me regularly to speak to various classes.
Since 1996, I have been teaching Talmud at a local religious high school.
Organizations Chabad-Lubavitch
South African Rabbinical Association
Publications Jewish Tradition, South Africa. Jewish Report, weekly newspaper, South Africa SAUJS annual Holiday guide.
Education/Credentials After completing high scool, I spent six years studying in Rabbinical seminaries in South Africa, Israel and New York.
Expert: Rabbi Ari Shishler Date: 7/29/2007 Subject: Too different in their eyes
Question Warning, this is long. Once I get going, I go :P
Ok, I just got back from a family renution and found out that my mom, Laila, was Jewish and even though she was born in Californa, her father and mother (I think...) where born in Israel. Her youngest sister Tali was born there too I belive. My fathers famly are all major Catholics and kept pushing me to get baptised (sp?). I even went to Mass just to please them though I felt nervous the whole time. Luckly I was not forced to to the whole bread and wine thing. v_v
It was hard, I just found out that if your mom is Jewish then so are her childern my law. But having no way to prove this, being she was killed when I was 3 and my dad moved me away from her family and I dont even know their last name, let alone ever met any of them. >,< For the past year or so I've done studying, minor really, to see if I could really go in to it, or lack of better words.
But first, am I really Jewish in the eyes of others? Or would I have to convert? And if am/do, how do I tell my family?
The last is the hardest, for over the renioun, of my cousins did not let his kids hang out with me beucase I looked different. See most of the family is blond, blue, or pale eyes, and pale skin. I have dark brown hair (almost black that's curly), Olive skin, and dark green eyes. (I'm not sure where that came from, my mum had dark brown, my dad has light blue...) Eh. I died my hair lighter and stay out of the sun, but since chemo my dark hair is growing back and its even more pomient.
What should I do? Sorry it's long, tho it was nice finaly writing it all out, I guess I'm just sick of hinding if you could call it that. I just want to be accepted by the only family I have left.
Ari
Answer Hi Ari
Wow! What a story- you've had some really tough stuff to deal with...
Please give me a little more information- how exactly did you find out that your mom was Jewish? This is important, because if it's reliable information, that will make a big difference.
The bottom line is- if your mom's Jewish, you're Jewish. But, we need to know that for a fact.
What you need to do next is more complicated.
1) You'd need to learn more about being Jewish. It's very special, very rewarding and a lot of hard work : )
I'm very happy to assist you with that.
You'll also find www.chabad.org and www.askmoses.com useful for this journey.
2) You'll need to deal with your family very carefully. They are your family and you need to respect them, even when you start doing things that they don't understand, and might be against.
I'm happy to help you do that too.
So, first step- try get as much info about your mom and her family as you possibly can. We'll take it from there.
I hope that you are well and that the chemo is doing its job!
